Sami

Many readers who live in the mobile cities of Victoria and Columbia have heard this song before. Recently, a nubmer of Sami tourism promotion campaigns have been launched on TV an intercity networks. Most people first heard word "Sami" in these advertisements. The ads were apparently so successful that companies don't need them anymore — each summer tourists sign up in masses to board ships to the resort town of Cappat or several other well-known northern attractions. These people are willing to spend a lot of money and more than a week on the bumpy road to experience (or re-experience) the charm of "the loveliest place in our world".

I was among them. Indeed, that trip was great.

But the purpose of this article is not to discuss the quality of Sami tourism. To be honest with you, I have already been to Sami, long before the first stakes of the first wooden house in Cappat-Gavuli were brought to the shores of Lake Chuaviali, even long before the lake received its name (that can be roughly translated as "the horned beast"). Although that visit was not intended, it seems now that It was to some extent a "blessing in disguise". It was the insights I gained during that trip that allowed me to actually complete this article and present it to readers. Let me introduce you a real Sami outside the tourist area.

Overview

Sami, the lands beyond Terra, the lands of forests and tundra. To average person, it is a faraway tourist destination and a homeland of saunas. But beyond the lights of the resort camp bonfires lies the most unique "country" on Terra and also the most a unique system of coexistence between man and nature. Here, our common sense must humbly recognize its limitations and give way to Sami's will.

Official language: Sami(Dialects A and B)
Main ethnic group: Elafia
Official Currency: None*

*Columbian Golden Certificates are only available in parts of the Southern Sami

History

Discovery of Sami

For those living outside of Sami (and especially those in academia), the history of Sami is the history of its discovery.

Although the name "Sami" appeared very early in historical records, for most of history, this name represented only a group of uncivilized primitive tribes in a small corner of northern Terra. If you try to look up some records on Sami before the Industrialization Era, you would basically come to the following conclusion: when Aslan kings of Sargon fought for dominance in the sands, the Sami people were drinking blood with hair, kissing tree bark and eating soil; in the days of Nightzmora conquering Terra, Sami people were drinking blood with hair, kissing tree bark and eating soil; in the era when Iberia and Leithanien successively colonized Bolivar, the Sami people still were drinking blood with hair, kissing tree bark and eating soil. In those records you could find some stories and fairy tales about giant featherbeast monsters with long legs and Elafia girl holding a crystal featherbeast egg, but otherwise there is nothing much to mention — even in Ursus which had always been close to Sami, you wouldn't be able to find more detailed and serious material.

At the time, the consensus was that Sami was a place where no one went and no one came from. Of course, now we know that this was not the case. The Sami people have never lived in isolation. Various evidence shows that the lands of Sami was the homeland of most Elafia, a race that can be found all over Terra today — but we have only discovered this fact recently, thanks to modern scientific methods. Sami is so far away that people at the time didn't care much about it. People who left Sami in the past may have had their own personal reasons, so they did not leave us any records about those lands.

It is generally accepted in academic circles that detailed written records of the Sami region began with Fedot Semyonovich Dezhnev's four northern expeditions. This explorer, a famous name in Ursus, has stayed in the Sami for more than ten years, truly pioneering the systematic study of Sami. Unfortunately, his studies have also led the hand of Ursus Emperor there. In a short period of time in the middle of the ninth century, due to the discovery of Originium deposits needed for ongoing war with Kaziemerz, Ursus quickly annexed land belonging to Sami tribes through military and economic means. The result of that annexation was the northwestern border of Ursus as we know it today.

Recently, another power emerged in the Sami region: the Columbian Union. Unlike most other countries, Columbia has always shown great interest in Sami. Since 1060s, groups of Columbians have entered Sami with the support of government and various domestic NGOs. Unlike the country's pioneering movement in the western wastelands, Columbia's interest in the Sami seems to be scientific as people who entered Sami at the time were mostly scientists. These researchers used modern technology to re-survey the swamps, black forests and snowy fjords of Sami, claiming to establish a stable route to the Winter Tooth Mountains. Their most unexpected feat was the rediscovery of Cyclops, a Sarkaz royal bloodline, living in the fjords.

The biggest change to Sami occurred recently: Colombian investors apparently managed to win the favor of some southern Sami tribes. They cooperated with these tribes and began the development of tourism in Sami marshes. Several large-scale resort towns have been built in the area (such as the well-known Cappat-Gavuli town mentioned earlier) as well as a large number of resort facilities. There are even rumors that the first nomadic city will soon appear in Sami, funded by a certain Columbian "conglomerate".

t.note. Yurodiviy = Yurodstvo in official translation(Or you can call him Koschey/Deathless Black Snake/etc), check ch8 end. I changed it to Yurodiviy here and in Ursus article because Yurodstvo in Russian is the condition of holy madness itself, while the holy fool himself is called Yurodiviy or Yurodliviy. Calling a man Yurodstvo is like calling someone "a madness".

The lands beyond

In the beginning of this article, I promised to introduce "a real Sami outside the tourist area.". In this section, I will keep this promise and first introduce "a Sami history outside the tourist area". Make note, however, so this is more of a folklore than a real, recorded history. I was lucky enough to hear these stories with my own ears, but few outside of Sami can verify them, and my memory couldn't record everything with absolute precision, so I leave the final judgment to the reader.

Our history often focuses on recording ruler's actions and commemorating the rise and fall of countries. Samifjod are not interested in this. The Sami's memories of the past have always revolved around tribal migrations, which were directed by rituals performed by Snow Priests. For Samifjod, these rituals and migrations held by each tribe are collectively known as "Suo Hati" or "O-Friedl", which means the "Great Battle". The "Great Battle" is the oral history of Sami people.

When I first visited Sami, I travelled with migrating Sami tribe (please allow me to keep its name secret). The summary of the story included below is derived from the records I made at that time. It is difficult to say whether the name "Sami" originated from stories related to the "Great Battle" or whether it was the opposite. After countless written adaptaion and thousands of years of oral transmission, this story has branched into numerous different versions, some of which have been spread to the south and evolved into the ghost stories we have heard. Every tribe has its own version, but all of them usually contain several common elements, such as a misunderstanding between two or more mythical creatures, the sudden appearance of strange invaders, the Sami people's eternal battle for Terra and many other.

It is worth mentioning that the "Father of the Ancestral Spirits" is more commonly known as "Sami Tahtoa" (Sami dialect A) or "Sami Vilja" (Sami dialect B), as well as just "Sami". There is a very precise Victorian translation of it, which is "Sami's Will". Some snow priests were telling me that "the art of divination is listening to Sami's will". We can argue that such stories actually record the events that marked the beginning of Sami history. Considering the grand changes in the world described in the story, the fact that Sami is very close to the Kolossal Primve Vein, and Catastrophes occur frequently there, we can infer that the battle between mythical creatures in the story is very likely to actually be a very violent catastrophe that happened in ancient times.

Suo Hati

Ten thousand years ago, when humans first came to the end of Terra, huge featherbeast called Valas-hidas that roamed the skies laid a scorching egg. The egg could not withstand the high temperature it produced and shattered into many pieces, releasing a loud sound and dazzling light, which awakened Sami, the father of the ancestral spirits who was sleeping in the ground. At the same time, Valas-hidas lowered her head to check her egg, but was blinded by its light. She knew that the egg had broken, but mistakenly thought it was Sami who broke it. Valas-hidas let out a shrill scream and angrily accused Sami. She lost all reason, flapped her wings, created a violent storm that covered the world and launched huge feathers as sharp as steel knives, trying to hurt Sami.

The father of the ancestral spirits, Sami, was protected by the earth and did not want to pay attention to unreasonable tantrum of featherbeast. However, Valas-hidas was blind in her rage, she was flying everywhere, her resent became indiscriminate and she was about to break the ancient covenant and kill innocent humans. The Father of Ancestral Spirits then made a compassionate decision. He stretched out his body and withstood all disasters for mankind. Sami's body became exposed outside his shelter, and the fragments of egg laid by Valas-hidas burned him with the power of twenty suns. The father of the ancestral spirit was taken by surprise and was seriously injured. He had to quickly return to earth.

Later, Valas-hidas regained her sight and reason. Heartbroken by the lost egg and filled with regret for hurting the father of the ancestor spirits, she left Terra without looking back. But the fragments of the egg remained on the ground, attracting evil spirits. Injured Sami had no way to leave the shelter of the earth, so he had to ask for help from humans. However, the merciful father of ancestral spirits never allowed humans to try to remove those fragments, because such a method does not exist on Terra. Sami only gave instructions to humans, asking them to work hard to resist the evil spirits and not let them cross the black forest. He also assured mankind that one day his wounds would heal and he would leave earth once again. Then he will be able to end his rest and solve the problems created by Valas-hidas forever. Only then the Great Battle of mankind will truly end.

Amma Tala

Father of the Ancestral Spirits, Sami, casted his last glance at the forests and marshes before going into hibernation. This glance seemed to be frozen in time and lasted for thousands of years. From that glance ancestral spirits Matarmaðurinn and Amma were born. Among the twins, Matarmaðurinn's appearance was more like that of a human, so he felt kinship to them and waanted to travel the world and meet all human beings. Meanwhile, Amma's appearance was not like a human at all, but she had gained the ancestral support. With the compassionate character she inherited from Father of Ancestral Spirits, she decided to stay in the land where Sami rested and guide the vegetation and animals on the land so that they could assist humans in completing their mission.

Amma didn't have human form and couldn't understand human speech, so she couldn't show herself and communicate with people directly. But by using the hints of snow and fire, she led Samifjod to understand the principles of divination and taught the first generation of Snow Priests. She also used the sound of the horn to lead the Dievas women who had just arrived in Sami, so that they could get help from the Sami tribes and avoid starving to death. Out of gratitude, the Dievas woman cut off a few pieces of bark and taught the Samijod how to write words that are able to move things.

Even today, Amma is still wandering in the black forest. Occasionally, the Sami people can find the pieces of pure white snow that cannot melt, which is a sign that Amma is looking out for them. One who picks up such a piece of snow usually encounters good things, but he must always pay attention to his surroundings so as not to miss Amma's hints.

Since this story was recorded in both dialects of Sami language, the authenticity of the "Amma Tala" ("Amma's Talk") story is easy to verify. The story of the twin ancestral spirits Matarmaðurinn and Amma also has many versions (all of which are very, very long), in which the Matarmaðurinn sometimes appears in human form to help humans, and sometimes in animal form or invisible form. Amma secretly guides humans. But there are always fixed parts in the development of the story: the first generation of snow priests are always born among the Samifjod; the "Dievas women" always come to the Samifjod and teach them how to write in cyphers. If we peel off the skin of the story, the meaning of the word "Dievas" becomes clear — "prophet". There are reasons to believe that it refers to Sarkaz Cyclops. Most likely, Cyclops taught the Samifjod how to write in Frida's cypher script, as the Sami language has two completely different sets of vocabularies and lexical patterns, but they both use the same writing system and speakers of both dialects can read texts written in it.

In some versions of the story, the "Dievas women" would split into two groups, one of which would enter the mountains, while the other would go all the way to the north, "looking for the wound of the Terra." This may suggest that the Cyclops actually split into two groups, or that another ancient race that we don't yet know about also stopped in Sami.

I will not write about other Sami stories in detail here. If readers are willing to believe that these stories have their basis in reality, then we can roughly summarize the development history of the Sami tribe like this: some 10,000 years ago, a catastrophe of unprecedented scale swept through the Sami, leaving a leaving an indelible mark on Samifjod. After the catastrophe, the surviving people awakened common Originium Arts. These Originium Arts most likely belong to the schools of Telepathy and Premonition, which allow the user to obtain some kind of precognitive information. Over the next thousands of years, Sami society was gradually shaped by these Originium Arts, forming a tradition of tribal migration to avoid catastrophes. Later, the Cyclops moved from Kazdel to Sami and at the same time introduced cypher spells, allowing the Samifjod to control their huge clan trees and war puppets. After these three events, the Sami society started resembling that of today.

Geography

Staircase to the North

Sami is the northernmost country of Terra, located at the intersection of the Kolossal Prime Vein and Lake Kolossaali in the northwest of Ursus. As you walk farther north, you will eventually enter the Infinite Icefields, uninhabited lands with harsh conditions.

In Sami the biom change is simillar to staircase: marshes in the south, forests in the core area, fjords in the north, and tundra in the extreme north. This order seems to have been designed artificially: to enter the tundra, travelers must cross the fjords first. If they want to return from the fjords to the swamps in the south, there is no way around the black forest. During Dezhnev's third expedition, the Ursus explorers tried to walk along the edge of the Black Forest from Haradriga Point in order to map its boundary. However, after travelling for a long time, they finally returned all the way to Ursus Yevrenov research station (today's Yevreninsk) and didn't encounter the Black Forest even once. According to Dezhnev, the topography of Sami is not static, the forests seems to walk when no one is looking, the ice and snow decide every day where they to fall, and even the rivers secretly change their course. Of course, the reality is probably not so fantastic. The Sami landscape in most areas is monotonous and lacks change. Even with the help of modern scientific equipment, people who are unfamiliar with the terrain still often get lost. Dezhnev's crew probably got lost, and the black forest he saw was probably an influence of local Originium Arts. Nevertheless, modern surveys have confirmed that it is possible to bypass the Black Forest and enter the icefields directly. However, to do so, one must pass through the territory controlled by Ursus army group that has long been closed for outsiders, so it has little practical significance.

Aurora

Nights are generally very long in Sami. Here people often observe a unique phenomena in the sky at night, which looks like shining strips of light hanging in the sky. This luminous phenomenon is called "Polya" by the Sami and Ursus, and because it only occurs in the far north, it is also called "Aurora" by people in other parts of Terra.

The color of the aurora changes frequently, being predominantly green, but also often appearing as red, blue or purple. Its brightness and density are also changing all the time. Samifjod believe that aurora is the tears shed by the giant featherbeast Valas-hidas in the sky, but for the other Terrans, the aurora is probably caused by the violent collision of material from the sun with the atmosphere. But no matter what the explanation is, it does not affect people's appreciation of its beauty.

Politics

Government

There is no central government of any kind Sami. The populace of this "country" lives in different tribes, but they all self identify themselves as "Samifjod ". Some of these tribes prefer to have a name, while others exist without one. There are at least several hundreds of tribes in Sami.

The core of the tribe is usually a religious leader, called the "Snow Priest". Snow Priest is the most powerful shaman and caster in the tribe. He is able to use Sami's unique Originium arts and can control the clan tree puppets. All general tribal affairs are managed by the Snow Priest and his group of advisors. Of all the responsibilities of a snow priest, the most important is divination. The Snow Priest can communicate with "Sami's Will" through divination and obtain prophecies. These prophecies serve as the basis for the decision to begin migration to avoid catastrophes. According to the existing records, these prophecies never fail.

Sometimes multiple snow priests from multiple tribes would receive the same revelation, a sort of "announcement". A Snow Sacrifice Assembly — a ritual meeting of unprecedented scale would begin soon after and hundreds of Snow Priests from entire Sami would rush to the venue. Outsiders are not allowed to attend these meetings and no one knows what exactly is discussed there. But in my personal experience, such meetings are often followed by some sort of mass migration of all different tribes as a whole (usually southward). It can be speculated that the purpose of this conference may be to discuss a plan for collective migration to avoid large-scale catastrophes. This assembly is also the closest institution to a government in the Sami region.

It is worth noting that, based on the information released by Columbia, in recent years there has been no record of a large-scale return to north by the tribes that migrated southward. A reasonable speculation is that they got accustomed to blessings of civilization brought by Columbia and thus were more willing to settle in the south. If this is the case, we might witness one of the most important moments of Sami history.

Military

Sami does not have a unified government, so naturally there is no unified army. But there is no shortage of strong warriors and skilled casters in every tribe. Sami warriors are not only skillful in holding a blade, but also good at using huge pole weapons. And the iconic wind and snow arts of the Sami casters is known all over the world. These people are de facto the armed force that maintains internal security and order in Sami. Disputes within the Sami tribe almost never evolve into armed conflicts. In cases of Ursus millitary aggresion, as was mentioned earlier, each tribe basically fights on its own.

But that is just an impression Sami warriors give off to outsiders. For the Samifjod themselves, their bravest tribes and best warriors have to enter the "Sotavoimat" (which can be translated as "Armed Legion"). A large number of warriors serve in this legion, always guarding the boundaries of the icefields in the fortress at the foot of the fjords. The enemy they fight is said to be not a human, but a terrifying enemy known as "Andskotarnir".

I have neither seen the fortress of the legion, nor have I come into contact with the soldiers of the legion, but readers should remember that Samifjod collectively refer to the snow divination and tribal migration as the "Great Battle" — according to my observation of Sami tribes migrations, It is indeed somewhat simillar to millitary mobilisation. While moving forward seemingly aimlessly, one tribe can actually encounter many other tribes that are also migrating — this shows that the tribe migration routes are simillar to many branches of a river, converging in one point and splitting in another. The knowledge of these routes lives in tribal cognition of Samifjod. Furthermore, I learned that the proportion of warriors was significantly higher among the tribes heading north. When tribes met each other during migration, some warriors would even leave their original tribe and join the tribe heading north. Undoubtedly, this is done with the purpose to join the legion.

In teams trying to join the legion, I have seen fully armed hornbeasts marching in formation. Under the control of their riders, they moved more uniformly than any human army. This was also the first time I witnessed the colossal Samifjod war puppets. Those structures created from entire giant trees, large willow branches and hard rock seemed to be completely capable of defeating any war machine of the same size. Some puppets were even covered in cypher script and their abilities were obviously further enhanced through arts. I can only imagine, what exactly the Sami who brought such a force to war would encounter in the north.

Economics

For a long time Sami tribes were largely self-sufficient with the land providing more than they needed. Samifjod can make everything they need with their hands. Barter both within and between different tribes helps people to meet their needs in case they are not able to produce something. Therefore, the Sami people do not use money.

But Columbia has changed this situation. The outsiders can now use Columbian Gold Certificates to spend money in resorts in southern Sami. Many resorts and entertainment venues employ local tribesmen as laborers. These Samifjod get Columbian currency and buy the goods produced in Columbia with it. Samifjod seem to be happy with this, so I'll leave the right to comment on this entire process we are all too familiar with to my dear reader.

Tourism industry

Traditionally, there were only two routes to enter Sami: one through the vast wastelands of northern Columbia, and the other from Ursus, heading west along the shores of Lake Kolossaali. Foreigners who want to enter Sami from Ursus need to go through several relatively cumbersome approval procedures. This will take some time, but it is not as hard as some may claim. Besides that, although there are rumors that the federal government plans to build a national highway connecting Columbia and Sami and set up formal checkpoints, there is currently basically no strict border control between the countries (It is worth noting that if tourist chooses to travel via a landship departing from a large mobile city, there is still a high probability that they will need to submit their travel documents for inspection before departure.).

In 1099, there is three main cruise routes to Sami's tourist areas: the traditional route from Trimounts, Colombia, is the shortest and the cheapest one. The second route is from Merseyside, Victoria. It has more luxurious service facilities. Because this route passes through Kjerag, you can view the magnificent Karlan Mountains from a distance. There's also a route starting from Montelupe in Siracusa that has been opened recently. It is the longes one, but it still provides the residents of Siracusa, Leithanien and Laterano to visit the beautiful lands of Sami.

Samifjod(The People of Sami)

Language

The Sami language has two known dialects — dialect A and dialect B. They have completely different vocabularly and morphology, but their syntax is very close. The vocabulary differences between these two dialects are too huge for them to be considered just "dialects", so many linguists call for splitting them into two different languages.

Dialect A of Sami has some similliarities to Ursine and likely is the native language of Sami. Its original script may have been similar to Ursus script, but it is now lost. Dialect B is relatively isolated, but there are some similliarities to Old Victorian. This dialect is likely to be a foreign language that achieved its current status in Sami because of its writing system. If we accept the story of "Amma Tala", then this is obviously the language that the Sarkaz Cyclops taught the Samifjod when they arrived to Sami.

The writing system of Dialect B is called "Frida Tala", which is commonly known as Frida's cypher script. Samifjod and Sarkaz Cyclops have the ability to use writings in this script as a medium to perform Originium arts. For more than two hundred years, there have been a large number of authentic and credible translations of texts written in this script, but principles behind its usage as a medium to perform arts is unknown.

Although there are personal preferences, most Samifjod are able to freely switch between the two dialects of Sami language. In addition, although most Sami people are literate, they rarely write anything. There are poetry, sagas and other forms of literature written in Sami language, but they are far from numerous. Letters are delivered between tribes by special people simillar to southern messengers, but people rarely choose to send letters between the tribes and to outside world.

Unity with Nature

All Samifjod respect the laws of nature and believe that everything has its flow that should not be disturbed. They take from nature what they need, but never more. Their "cultural temperament" is famous in the south, and the stereotyped image of the "Sami people" comes from this. In literature, movies and TV shows, the love story between the southerner and Samifjod with culture shock elements has become its own genre with loyal following. However, after all, these works have created by outsiders and influenced by their romantic imagination. Famous "I don't like this 'soda'" phrase obviously doesn't represent the reality.

In Sami culture, everything in this world obeys the everlasting cycle of preying and being preyed on. This cycle has the same name as a human and is called "Ainainen Pyynti" (dialect A) or "Eilif Veiði" ” (dialect B), which can be translated as “Eternal Hunt”. Through the act of "preying", the spirit of all things is circulated. Therefore, this act should not be interfered with by human emotions or morality. Generally speaking, understanding and agreeing with this rule is a prerequisite for being called a "Samifjod". Because of this rule, their attitude towards nature is more pragmatic than outsiders think and they do not prefer certain trees or beasts as presented in southern media. They generally don't have any feelings for non-humans and don't feel attachment towards things they use.

Tribal Migrations

Depending on culture of specific tribe, Sami tribes may be in a constant migration or stay in the same place for long periods of time. However, the Snow Priests of all tribes perform divination at least once a month. If they are warned in the divination, the tribe will migrate. Whether Samifjod learn it in divinations or there's some kind of system to it, the migration route and destination are determined from the beginning.

In the tribal settlements, all houses are set up around one or more huge tree puppets. These golems are called "family trees," and the largest and most important of them is called the "clan tree." These trees can walk, take root, and help the tribe carry any heavy objects under the control of the Snow Priest.

Samifjod have developed a strict sense of cooperation because of their nomadic lifestyle. They are extremely efficient, not only in their work but also in preparations for the move. They have an ancient document called a "Tree Precept", which is passed down from generation to generation in the tribe and serves as a guideline for this kind of migration. According to my observations, under the guidance of the "Tree Precept", the tribe may depart in just one hour after the end of divination ceremony. One could even argue that the efficiency of Sami tribes is higher than that of nomadic cities.

Conclusion

For readers interested in traveling to Sami, I wish you a great trip. Although I don't know if it can be regarded as "the loveliest land in our world", it is indeed beautiful. Please be sure to abide by the resort's rules and do not leave the resort's boundaries. Sami may be regarded as a remote exotic place or a spectacular tourist destination, and there's nothing wrong with that. The description of the internal situation of Sami in this article is intended to enhance readers’ understanding of that land, but is not intended to encourage readers to visit Sami beyond its resort towns. Based on personal experience, my attitude towards Sami is very complicated and difficult to explain. But I am convinced that Sami should not be disturbed too much by outsiders. I am afraid there are secrets there that are not suitable to be revealed now.

Postcript: for those who wish to visit Sami

I am writing this for readers who are determined to explore the depths of Sami, or even set foot on the icefields. What you are about to expierence there lies at the frontier of your common sense and consciousness. Please remember these warnings which came from people who managed to save me there:

1. Sami has its own principles. Say this silently to yourself whenever you feel the need. If you start to question Sami at this time, immediately turn back and leave Sami.
2. Things happening in Sami may seem to make absolutely no sense. Anytime you feel the need to doubt, don't hesitate to do so. As you are ignorant, you don't understand Sami, you don't comprehend Sami. If you feel certain when you should be doubting, immediately turn back and leave Sami.
3. Most people who speak can be trusted. If you encounter a silent person or a speaking shadow, immediately turn back and leave Sami.
4. Respect the customs of the local people. Do not touch their clan trees, let alone touch the shadow of those trees. If you do so, immediately turn back and leave Sami.
5. On nights when the twin moons are dim, do not spend the night in the forest. If you have to, do not spend the night together with your companions. You must separate and stay out of each other's sight. If it is not possible, or if there is anything around that makes you and your companions afraid of spending the night alone, anything that makes you think that "we cannot be separated," immediately turn back and leave Sami.
6. If you find that your inner thoughts are echoed verbally by others, don't answer, immediately turn back and leave Sami.
7. If you keep these warnings in mind, you will naturally know when you need to use them. If you do not keep these warnings in mind, immediately turn back and leave Sami.
8. Do not bring back anything that should not be brought back from Sami. If you do so, immediately turn back and bring it back to Sami.